New Releases by Corinne Demas

From award-winning author Corinne Demas comes a moving story about the sometimes volatile but ultimately unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters. When Meredith flies home to New England, daughter Eloise in tow, she leaves her husband and a life back in LA. A heartbreaking loss is killing their marriage. So she looks to her mother and siblings for the support she desperately needs, and the love her daughter surely deserves--two things her husband can''t seem to provide. Meredith''s mother, Delia, is thrilled by their sudden arrival at the family farm. But her husband braces for the chaos his stepdaughter and granddaughter will surely bring. Meredith''s announcement that she''s moved home for good takes the whole family by surprise and turns everything upside down. While wrestling with her future, artist Meredith is forced to confront her past--and the disappointment she believes her mother, a violin teacher, felt when musically gifted Meredith abandoned the violin. As Meredith works to repair relationships with members of her family, an old flame turns up and further complicates her life. Delia, in a desperate attempt to rescue her daughter''s marriage, does something unforgivable, and Meredith has to decide if she should uproot Eloise and take off. When Eloise goes missing, help arrives from an unexpected quarter.

In this witty, warm novel by award-winning author Corinne Demas, unexpected changes bring two retirees together on a voyage of self-discovery from past regrets to the true meaning of happily ever after. Widower Noah Shilling considers Clarion Court to be less an independent living community and more a prison. But there may be hope for the place yet. The newest resident is bold, eccentric, rule-breaking Cassandra Joyce--whom, as it turns out, Noah met long ago in college. As Noah and Cassandra get reacquainted, major changes at Clarion Court force them both to reevaluate their living situation. When Noah invites Cassandra to rough it with him at his Cape Cod cottage, the old friends must decide whether they should risk embarking on the next stage of their journey together. But moving forward means coming to terms with the past and relying on each other to do so, which is something the stubbornly independent pair may not be ready for. They''ve come this far on their own, and unless they can reconcile a lifetime of emotional baggage, the road they started down together may lead instead to parted ways.

Corinne Demas’s Once There Was is a simple, modern fable about dreaming of being something else, transformations, and the interconnectedness of all things, featuring whimsical full-color illustrations by Gemma Capdevila. In this magical, modern fairy tale, a girl dreams she is a princess. A princess dreams she is a horse. A horse dreams she is a tree, a tree a mountain, a mountain a moon, a moon a sea, a sea a girl. This contemplative story plays on timely themes of aspiration and self-reflection but leaves room for interpretation, giving the book the potential to become a timeless classic.

From award-winning creators—author Corinne Demas and illustrator Penelope Dullaghan—The Perfect Tree is a picture book holiday tale about how Bunny searches for and finds the perfect Christmas tree—a wonderful gift book. Bunny is looking for the perfect Christmas tree. Her forest friends tell her that the perfect tree is one that is just her size, bushy as Squirrel’s tail, perfectly pointy on top for a star, the greenest green, and smells like Christmas. But sometimes the perfect tree is the one surrounded by friends. “Full of dialogue, the text is delightfully uncomplicated, yet the word choice is rich and inviting. The illustrations are crisp, clean, and adorable in deep jewel-tone colors set against a bright snowy backdrop.” —School Library Journal “This sweet, delightful story brims with messages of holiday warmth, cooperation, and friendship.” —Kirkus Reviews

Gus the Pirate is always grumpy, but can the wise Pirate Queen convince him to change his ways? There is one grumpy pirate.They call him Grumpy Gus. He grunts and gripes and grouses,and always makes a fuss.Gus the Pirate complains about everything -- ARRRRRGH! Gus grumbles about his lumpy bed and his itchy clothes. He complains about the yucky food and doing his chores on the pirate ship. Even sailing toward buried treasure can''t make Gus happy! Finally, the other pirates have had enough! They ask the Pirate Queen to help.So the Pirate Queen gives Grumpy Gus a pet parrot -- but the parrot is grumpy, too! After Gus spends the day with a parrot who''s just as grumbly and grouchy as he is, Gus realizes his bad attitude might be a little hard to deal with. Can Gus turn his frown upside down before the other pirates make him walk the plank?All kids can relate to feeling grumpy like Gus, and this swashbuckling pirate adventure teaches kids the importance of trying to have a positive attitude!

Pirates may fight and plunder booty. But when they do so, they are polite! "Pirates are unrulyand pirates love to fight,but pirates still say ''please'' and ''thanks''''cause pirates are polite."Are Pirates Polite?shows pirates'' rowdy activitiesandteaches manners lessons. These pirates remember to say "please" and "thank you." If pirates can be polite, surely young readers can, too!Fun, rhyming text by Corinne Demas and Artemis Roehrig pairs pirates'' questionable activities with their lead-by-example lessons in manners. David Catrow''s humorous, zany illustrations depict the swashbuckling nature of the pirates. Follow along as pirates have fun on a pirate ship, divide up their treasure, and teach manners. Aargh!

A picture books that helps children discover what fiddler crabs do.

Her mother''s third marriage is only hours old when all hope for Clare''s fifteenth summer fades. Before she knows it, Clare is whisked away to some ancient cottage on a tiny marsh island on Cape Cod to spend the summer with her father—a man she hasn''t seen since she was three. Clare''s biological father barely talks, and when he does, he obsesses about endangered turtles. The first teenager Clare meets on the Cape confirms that her father is known as the town crazy person. But there''s something undeniably magical about the marsh and the island—a connection to Clare’s past that runs deeper than memory. Even her father''s beloved turtles hold unexpected surprises. As Clare''s father begins to reveal more about himself and his own struggle, Clare''s summer becomes less of an exile and more of a return.

Lily tries many different costumes before she creates the perfect one for surprising her father on Halloween.

Thirteen-year-old Irene helps in her grandfather''s plant nursery, makes new friends, and begins to learn what she really wants and needs after her father, having lost his job as an investment banker, moves her and her mother to his father''s farmhouse upstate.

A rhyming tale of pirates who go to school accompanied by their parrots, learn arithmetic and letters, and want to hear sea stories at storytime.

They call themselves the Leopardi Circle -- six members of a writing group who share much more than their works in progress. When Nancy, whose most recently published work is a medical newsletter, is asked to join a writing group made up of established writers, she accepts, warily. She''s not at all certain that her novel is good enough for the company she''ll be keeping. Her novel is a subject very close to her heart, and she isn''t sure she wants to share it with others, let alone the world. But Nancy soon finds herself as caught up in the group''s personal lives as she is with their writing. She learns that nothing -- love, family, loyalty -- is sacred or certain. In the circle there''s Gillian, a beautiful, scheming, world-famous poet; Bernard, a pompous but lovable biographer; Virginia, a respected historian and the peacemaker of the group, who also happens to be Bernard''s ex-wife; Chris, a divorced father and successful thriller writer; and Adam, the youngest of the group, an aspiring novelist who is infatuated with Gillian. And then there''s Nancy, an unassuming fiction writer embarking on a new chapter in her own life. They meet to read their work aloud and offer feedback. Over the course of a year, marriages are tested, affairs begin, and trust is broken. Through their complicated relationships, these eccentric characters share their families, their beds, and their histories, and soon find that buried secrets have a way of coming to light. Hearts break and emotions are pushed to the limit in this richly engaging tale of love, betrayal, and literature.

A young girl and her lovable dog, Lulu, are the best of friends and do everything together. As Lulu ages and starts to slow down the girl shows her compassion by making Lulu comfortable in her bed and helping to feed her. When Lulu dies the caring, young girl must comes to terms with her loss and find a way to say goodbye. This lyrical and touching story will tug at the heartstrings of all readers--young and old.

A little girl tries to create the perfect heart-shaped valentine for her mother on Valentine''s Day.

Enjoy reading this fun title as each character gets stuck in the muddy swamp. Includes colorful illustrations.

Annamouse needs decorations for her Christmas tree but can''t get to the store because of the deep snow. Willamouse needs a tree for her Christmas decorations, but she can''t get to the store either. Will Santamouse know how to come to their homes? These two mice seem destined to spend a lonely Christmas until Willamouse hears the sound of music coming through her wall and gets an inspiring idea that brings holiday cheer to both revelers.

Even after attending obedience school, Emma''s dog Toby misbehaves until she takes him back to become a "specially trained dog."

In their travels, three sisters find a magic spyglass, a magic horse, and a magic apple, which they use to help save a sick prince.

Boy Who Was Generous With Salt is a Marshall Cavendish publication.

This memoir evokes a girl''s coming of age in a postwar New York City planned, "utopian" community.

I could not write for many days. Write! I could not walk or eat or even talk except to moan and wish that I were home or dead or anywhere but here aboard this ship. Twelve-year-old Celia Snow regrets the day she convinced her parents to allow her to accompany them on her father''s whaling expedition in 1856. She thought it would be exciting, exotic, and thoroughly grown-up. Instead, she is terribly seasick and, even worse, homesick. But what''s done is done, and Celia knows she cannot expect to see her home on land again for several years. As the months go by, the excitement of the expedition turns the miserable voyage into a true adventure. On the day Celia sights her first whale and watches the boats row out to the hunt, she realizes that she will see and experience more aboard the Jupiter than most girls will in a lifetime. She will learn to navigate, and she will see the incredible beauty of the Sandwich Islands and feel the biting cold of the Arctic. Best of all, she will fall in love. While life aboard ship is not easy, Celia learns everything she can about being a captain''s daughter. In her heart, though, she still dreams about the day she will return home again. But when disaster strikes, Celia must gather all her courage, strength, and newfound knowledge in one desperate attempt to salvage the expedition and the lives of those she loves. When we left New Bedford it was cold but clear, a fair wind, Papa said. Mother was in her cabin arranging things, but I wanted to be out on deck. I kept my eye on the sweet shoreline till it disappeared from me, bit by bit, till it was just a line. I held it there in my memory long after it was gone. Papa passed me his spyglass and through it I could see what had been lost before. Sometime in the world maybe there will be a spyglass so strong I could see not just New Bedford, but all the way back home, to you in Eastham, or even as far as our cousins in Salem, and beyond. Books for the Teen Age 2001 (NYPL)

Margo and her family prepare for and experience Hurricane Bob, which makes the electricity go out for five days but leaves their house intact.

Jamie''s greatest wish is to have a pony of her very own. So when she sees a sign advertising a free pony, she''s ecstatic! As soon as Jamie pets McIntosh for the first time, she''s sure that they are perfect for each other. Is Jamie''s dream about to become a reality? Or is a free pony too good to be true?

Nina must step in for her dad and play her special song at the fiddle competition when he is stung by wasps.

To celebrate her ninth birthday, Carrie''s grandmother takes her by boat to Billingsgate Island in Cape Cod, an island that is only visible during low tides.

After quite an adventure, the smallest of six nesting dolls finds her way back to her sisters.

When school is cancelled because of snow, Emily not only has fun playing outside with her friends but she also finally decides on a topic for her class report.

Every year at blackberry time Matthew visits the red-tailed hawk in the black walnut tree in the meadow, and she teaches him how to use his senses to fully appreciate the natural world.